Bilan du systeme de millet et de son evolution dans les bilad-al-sam

by BARIA DAHER

Alternative Title

The millet system and its evolution in the bilad-al-sam

Abstract

Toward the middle of the lineteenth century, the ottoman empire, anxious to preserve its territorial integrity, didunot seem able to follow a progressive political lineant to ensure a pacific coexistency the various religious communities of his territory (peculiare in the bilad al-sam) with the old millet system. The precarity of power and institutions was inucontrast with the strength of the community structures. The economical, social and political frailty of the empire played in favour of the european politic and offer an explanation for the break of the compromise between the communities which the millet system represented. The nationalistic ideology brought from occident and accepted by the superior cl1asses of the bilad al sam played a decisive part. While turkey, without its empire, became subject to a trend of isolationism, the arabic landsuentered a period of nationalistic conflicts. They boroowed hom the very occident they were opposing its political language and value of laicity